Arkansas veterans rally, call for more oversight

Friday

Aug 10, 2012 at 8:00 AMAug 10, 2012 at 8:55 AM

The group of veterans called for the improvements to the state Department of Veterans Affairs during an hour-long rally on the Capitol steps. Gov. Mike Beebe in May asked the department's director to retire over the department illegally collecting more than $580,000 in fees and has used money from the state's surplus to repay the veterans who were charged.

ANDREW DeMILLO, Associated Press

Arkansas veterans rallied at the state Capitol on Thursday and called for more oversight of the agency that assists them after problems that include thousands of dollars of illegally collected fees and a report detailing $10 million in repairs that the Little Rock Veterans Home needs.

The group of veterans called for the improvements to the state Department of Veterans Affairs during an hour-long rally on the Capitol steps. Gov. Mike Beebe in May asked the department's director to retire over the department illegally collecting more than $580,000 in fees and has used money from the state's surplus to repay the veterans who were charged.

The department in June announced that the Little Rock Veterans Home would close as soon as its residents were moved to other approved facilities of their choosing. Veterans at the rally complained that years of neglect led to the facility's deterioration.

The Arkansas Building Authority earlier this week said it would take $10 million to bring the building up to state building and health codes.

"Our troops deserve a better place to fight their final battle," James Scholz, an Army veteran who lives in Little Rock, told the crowd.

The veterans' group did not call for keeping the home open, but several veterans urged the state to build a new center. Beebe's office said the governor doesn't have any plans to ask legislators at next year's session to fund a new home, but said he was open to any ideas from lawmakers.

"The plan for now is to find existing quality destinations for all of the residents before the current home is shuttered," Beebe spokesman Matt DeCample said. "There's no plan for that size of a capital request currently."

Congressman Tim Griffin, however, on Thursday urged the state to open a new veterans home to replace the soon to be shuttered one. Griffin said the federal government would fund up to 65 percent of the cost of building a new home.

"In Arkansas and across the country, state veterans homes are an important part of the continuum of services for our veterans who have sacrificed so much for our country," Griffin said in a statement released by his office at the rally. "They play a critical role, and building a new veterans home in Little Rock should be a priority."

Veterans at the rally also called for more investigations into the past practices, but praised new director Cissy Rucker's work since taking over the department. Rucker, a retired Arkansas Army National Guard colonel, replaced David Fletcher. Beebe asked Fletcher to retire and Rucker later fired a deputy director over the improper collection of maintenance fees from veterans at the Little Rock home.

"We want these things looked at," said Mike Hampton, an Army and Air Force veteran who spoke at the rally. "People who are supposed to be looking after these veterans need to be held accountable."